This invention generally relates to an apparatus for removing gristle from meat. More particularly, this invention relates to an apparatus for removing gristle such as tendons from cuts of meat, especially poultry meat, by using a wedging jaw that permits passage of the gristle and not the meat therethrough to subject the meat and the gristle to oppositely directed forces whereby the gristle is stripped from the meat.
Certain cuts of meat are of reduced value by virtue of their including gristle such as tendons or cartilage tissues. Removal of this gristle has long been known to be desirable, especially when preparing boned products such as poultry breasts and poultry tenderloin products, which products have at least one rather extensive unitary gristle portion, such as the tendon and connective tissue associated therewith which extends generally medially through a turkey tenderloin. Such tendons and the like are particularly difficult to remove by hand butchering operations without damaging the meat, because such gristle is in large measure imbedded within and tenaciously adhered to the tenderloin.
Accordingly, it has been recognized that a desirable manner of removing these gristle portions from cuts of meat is to grasp an accessible portion of the gristle and then pull on that accessible portion to remove the entire gristle from the cut of meat. Heretofore, operations such as these have been rather cumbersome and slow. Accordingly, there is a need for means to strip gristle from cuts of meat in a manner that is fast, effective and efficient and that is not labor intensive.
The present invention satisfies these needs by providing an apparatus having mechanical means for holding down an extending or a leading portion of gristle attached to a piece of meat as the piece of meat traverses a path that passes by a wedging jaw that holds the meat to prevent its continued traversal along the path while the mechanical hold down means continues to hold the gristle and to move along the path to strip the gristle from the piece of meat, after which the meat and the stripped gristle are collected separately from each other. Optionally, the wedging jaw can be opened after the stripping has been completed in order to facilitate removal of the stripped gristle from the apparatus.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for stripping gristle from pieces of meat.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved apparatus for cleanly and rapidly stripping gristle simultaneously from several cuts or pieces of meat.
Another object of this invention is to provide an improved apparatus for efficiently pulling the tendon from a poultry meat tenderloin.
Another object of the present invention is an improved apparatus for upgrading the quality of meat products by stripping gristle from cuts of meat, and especially by removing tendons at least partially imbedded within the meat.
Another object of the present invention is an improved apparatus which removes gristle from cuts of meat by subjecting the gristle and the meat to oppositely directed forces in a manner that is positive, rapid, efficient and not labor intensive.
Another object of this invention is an improved apparatus for wedgingly separating gristle from cuts of meat.